The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-10-08
The Great Wall OF China.
nles-Donocrat.l

| Lrinles- Democrat.
| a French missionery, the Abbe Lar
rteu, who has spent some years in the
Celestial Empire, has just published in
Paris pamphlet on the Great Wall
of China, summary Of which is given
ia the London Times. The abbe de-
MES, without reservation, the existence
of the wall, and declares further that
1t never has existed. This huge Chi
nese wall, he says, is huge Chinese
lie, and he adds that he has lived for
several years in what would have been
the shadow of the wall had there been
a we'll, but there was neither wall nor
shadow.
The accepted idea of the wall origl-
mated, according to M. Larricu, with
the Jesuit, Martini, who visited China
in the middle of the seventeenth GEN.
wall has been followed by subsequent
and those Of recent travellers, particu-
larly the Abbe Hue, and from the
study of Chinese history, NJ. Larrieu
draws the following conclusions:
W The term 'great wall" is at tho bot
COIIl VI I'LL tue MISUNDERSTANDING, ana IL
comes from tho Chinese expression, ",he
wall ofthe ten thousand l." {2} as described
by Martini and other writors who have
copied him, this wall does not and never
did exist (3) Chinese emperor undoubt-
eddy did conceive tho idea of great wall
from tho Gulf of Liao-Long on the cast to
Kan-su on tho west, and this, though nev-
or realized, had a beginning; H) all along
tho line of the proposed wall sq,,nre towers
of earth. or of earth faced with brick, woro
constructed at considerable distances from
each other, but these were never joined to-
gether by any wall, rs was originally in
tended. In some of Tho defiles all along
tho route there arc walls, but these were
intonded to close those part ticular passages
or thcy arc merely the walls of villages.
and are no parts of a larger scheme. Hence
tho only part of tho scheme of tho Great
Wall carried out was tho construction of
these scattered towers tho rest nevor wont
beyond tho brain that conceived it; IL was
never moro than fancy, and it is now II
myth.
1t WAS not to be expected That this
sudden blasting Of popular and ro-
mantle tradition would be allowed to
pass without protest. a gentleman
Immediately wrote to the London
Standard:
Will you allow mo to inform your read
ers that have sat upon tho wall, and that
l have, moreover, a photograph ofn2
Nor is there any lack OF evidence as
to the existence of the wall in standard
histories of China, and in the accounts
of travellers. One of these, Gen. James
II. Wilson, OF New York, visited the
wall no longer ago than last year.
The account OF 1t in his "China" fully
bears out previous travellers and the
description of the biographies:
The Chinese call il tho "T'en Thousand. IL
Wall ~ and If IL really had anv sucl, lcn,yt II
it would be something over 1850 miles long.
It is from 20 to 30 foot high IL to
90 feet thick, and rivetcd outside and in
with cut granite masonry laid in regular
conrses with an excellent mortar OF limo
and sand. 1t is surmountcd by IA parapct
of gray burned brick, eighteen or twonty
with cronelated openings for defenders
/" Tho top is paved with Il double
layer of brick about foot square. Tho in
side C. the wall is made of earth and loose
stones well rammod in. Evory two hun
dred or three hundred yards thcro is Il
Hanking turrel 30 to 40 fect high, projecting
beyond and overlooking tho taco of tho
astounding thing about it is, howovor, that
it climbs straight up tho stcepost and most
rugged mountain sides, courses along their
submits, desconds into gorgcs and ravines,
and, rising again, skirts tho faco OF almost
inaccessible crass, crosses rivers, valleys
and plains in endless succession from ono
end OF tho empire to tho other-fron tho
seashore on the Gulf of Pcchilc to the dcs-
ert wastes of Turkestan.
Taking even this small propotion Of
the evidence into consideration, not
much doubt can remain that the Abbe
Larrieu is to say the least, mistaken.
But the question might easily be set
tied beyond the shadow Of ii doubt.
The course OF the wall as marked on
the maps runs not far north OF PekiD.
There can bc no difficulty in reaching
it. One Of the many geographical So
cieties might send an exploring party
10 report upon its real extent and pres
ent condition.
About all the newspaper prOpris tors
in the United States, presume, have
been offered stock in the Tortflata
mines in Arizona, of which J. Floyd
King is president, for advertising space
and that class of editors who take cv-
erything offered, from n ten cent harp
to gold mine have accepted; but will
not we fellows who declined taking
stock feel bad il it turns out bnnanZa?
-NeU Era.